


For Science

by blue_wonderer



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Cuddling, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Olivarry, Sex Talk, but mostly fluff and cuddles, let's talk about sex baby, some smut, talking about anal sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-05
Updated: 2017-08-05
Packaged: 2018-12-11 12:34:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11714496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blue_wonderer/pseuds/blue_wonderer
Summary: “T-that’s afoul, Queen. We’re having a serious conversation about bum lovin’.”Oliver and Barry talk about their newfound sexuality in bed, late at night - on Barry's phone.





	For Science

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PinkLetterDay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkLetterDay/gifts).



He’s asleep and then awake, sensations like "groggy" and "drowsy" a remnant of the _Ollie_ that existed before Lian Yu. Now alertness comes from one millisecond to the next and he goes still, extending senses, controlling breathing, listening past the rush of blood in his ears for _threat_ , for the thing that woke him. 

“You’re cuddling again.” 

But it’s just Barry. His boyfriend is laying on his back, face ethereal in the glow of his phone, which he holds up with one hand because his other is trapped between their bodies. Oliver groans, makes to move away, but Barry’s fingers scrabble at him. “No, stay. Have I told you how cute it is that you start out going to sleep military-style but turn into a sneaky cuddler when you’re asleep? Because it is. Cute. Probably the cutest thing I’ve seen today, for sure. And I watched sixteen kitten videos earlier.” 

Wariness draining away, Oliver decides that he’s too tired to decide whether or not Barry’s comparing him to a kitten. “Is that what you and Cisco did today when you said you had to do research at the lab?” 

“It was for science.” 

Oliver groans again, rubbing his face against Barry’s shoulder. “Why are you talking so much right now? Why are you even awake?”

“Don’t feel tired anymore. And I had _scientific inquiries_.” 

“Such as?” 

“Bum lovin’,” Barry deadpans and _shoves his phone into Oliver’s face_. 

Oliver practically _yowls_ in pain. “Jesus, Barr!” He ducks his head into the pillow under Barry, the after images of the phone burning against his closed eyelids. “Have a heart and _just stab my eyes out_ next time.”

He feels Barry take a breath. 

“Make that joke about my real name being Drama Queen,” Oliver warns preemptively, “and I will not make you those cookies tomorrow.” 

Barry deflates. 

“…Did you actually just say ‘bum lovin’’?”

“Yep,” Barry pops the word. “I thought, hey, we’re new to this queer thing—”

Oliver snorts. 

“—And gay sex—”

“I wouldn’t say we’re _new_ to that,” Oliver says smugly and mouths teasingly at Barry’s neck. Barry shudders and turns toward Oliver a little more. 

“OK, f-fair point,” Barry stutters. “But the anal sex would be new.” 

They’d talked about trying it, recently, but haven’t taken the discussion much further. “Hence,” Oliver says, offhandedly licking a stripe up Barry’s neck toward the back of his ear, just to hear him stutter again. “‘Bum lovin’?” 

“Ergo, _Bum Lovin’ 101_.” Barry waves his phone around for emphasis. “Online article. It’s gotten a lot of good reviews.” 

“Alright,” Oliver concedes gamely. “Tell me what you’ve found out about anal sex.” 

“The article calls it ‘bum lovin’,’ you have to get the right _terminology_ ,” Barry tries to say reprovingly, but his teeth flash as he fails to suppress a grin. 

“You know that I am never calling it that.” 

Barry laughs. By the light of his phone, Oliver can see the way he tilts his head and squeezes his eyes shut, long lashes melting into the shadows. 

Oliver doesn’t think he’s ever seen anything as beautiful as that moment. 

“I don’t think it’s supposed to be called that,” Barry agrees. “I just wanted you to say it again. Okay,” Barry clears his throat like he’s about to give a Serious Lecture, but he’s still fighting a smile. “First off: ‘anal sex doesn’t equal gay sex,’” he reads from the article. “‘According to a study by Cornell, frottage is actually the most popular sexual activity in gay relationships’.” 

Oliver nods, tilts his face to hide his smirk and keeps voice even as he says, “rubbing genitals together is nice.” 

“Ugh,” Barry reacts with a frown, never one to disappoint. “Rubbing genitals—”

“It’s the _technical term_ , Barry.” 

“It feels like I’m being propositioned by a duke or a count in a historical romance novel. ‘Good sir,’” he says in an affected accent, “‘would you like to retire to my chambers so that we may rub genital—’” he breaks off with a gasp when Oliver reaches up and gently pinches his nipple. “T-that’s a _foul_ , Queen. We’re having a serious conversation about bum lovin’.” 

“I’m sorry,” Oliver says, clearly not sorry. “Tell me more. I’ll listen.” He’s just going to also take the other bud into his mouth and gently scrape his teeth on the skin of Barry’s sensitive chest. 

Barry drops the phone to the bed with a ‘thunk,’ pitching the bedroom into blackness. 

“Oliver—”

“Tell me more,” Oliver says again, trailing his lips toward Barry’s collarbone, thumb and forefinger still playing with his nipple. 

“Right,” Barry says, scrambling for the phone. “So, uh, t-there should be a lot of, uhm, lube. Uhm. Obviously.” 

Oliver stops his ministrations, resting his head thoughtfully on Barry, hand moving to idly run his fingers up and down Barry’s sides. “What about, er, cleanliness?” 

“You mean an enema?” Barry asks brightly, as if he’s not fighting his own blush. “The author of _Bum Lovin’ 101_ also calls it ‘douching’.” 

Oliver presses his chuckle against Barry’s skin and wonders how “douching” is supposed to be a less awkward word than “enema”. 

“God,” Barry sighs. “I love it when you giggle.” 

“I don’t _giggle_.” 

“You giggle,” Barry assures. “But don’t worry, I think it’s ridiculously sexy. Hands down more sexy than your smolder. Though baking with your shirt off will always be my biggest kink.” 

Oliver is mostly convinced that the reason for that particular kink has more to do with Barry’s love of food than a half-naked Oliver. Still, baking usually ends with desperate kisses and Barry’s long fingers shoved down his pants, so he’s not about to complain now. 

“So, douching,” Oliver says. “Is it an every time thing?” 

“ _Bum Lovin’ 101_ says that it doesn’t need to be. A shower and gentle soap should do the trick.” 

This, naturally, makes Oliver think of Barry in the shower, water sluicing down the plains of his pale skin. He lets his hand trail back up to Barry’s chest, pinches his nipple again before thumbing the bud. Barry squirms, softly voicing a delighted sound in the back of his throat. 

“What about dental dams? Do we need those?”

Barry stills. In the blue light of the phone, Oliver can see the younger man’s mouth fall open, close, fall open again. “I… do you want to? Do that?” 

“Do you?”

“I—uhm, w-well, I—I guess I hadn’t thought much about it?” 

“I have,” Oliver says, honestly, feeling a little robbed that the phone light is such that he can’t make out the furious blush that is surely racing across Barry’s cheeks. He can picture it now, like he has a few times before. Barry on his knees and elbows, shuddering as Oliver licks his way in. “I’d tease you for a while, because you love that you hate that,” he murmurs into the side of Barry’s neck. “Lick over you, blow softly, just to see how you’d react.” He lets his hand travel down as he talks, fingers tracing the outline of Barry’s arousal, finding him already hard. Oliver wonders how much of it was from reading the article while Oliver slept, imagining him and Oliver doing the things he read about. He wonders how much of it is at the thought of Oliver rimming him. 

Oliver grinds his hand down. Barry drops the phone again. 

“Y-yeah,” Barry gasps into the dark. “OK. I can maybe, _oh_ , see your point.” 

Oliver hums, stretching up, kissing where he remembers Barry’s jaw to be. Barry turns into him, mouth hungry for his kisses, his body for Oliver’s touch. 

“Tell me more about what you read,” Oliver says and Barry huffs impatiently. 

“What? No. I am _busy_ being fully on board with what we’re doing right now, thanks.” 

“Inquiring minds want to know. What else did you read, Barry?” Oliver says. And then he whispers, “Please?” 

Barry’s body actually jerks against his at that, and Oliver imagines that he’s biting his lip in a vain attempt to muffle the moan that spills out. “That’s a-another foul, Queen,” he gasps. “I—we’re having serious foreplay, here, you can’t just lead with the big guns.” 

“So you didn’t read anything else interesting?” Oliver asks, innocently, moving his hand so he can wrap his arm around the shifting strength of Barry’s back and pull him in closer.

Barry groans again, now rocking against Oliver’s own hard length, making them both gasp. “J-just, uhm. We don’t have to go all-in at once. Fingering is, _ah_ , is good.” 

“I’ve thought of that, too,” Oliver admits. 

“Yeah? ‘Cause I’ve been, you know, trying it. For a couple of weeks now, after we started talking about this.” 

And, just like that, the steadily building arousal gives way to a lurch of pure need. 

“Oliver? Are you—” 

“Could I watch?” 

“What? Oh, you mean me when I—uhm. Yeah. I mean, yeah, sure. But I’m not sure that it’s that sexy—Oliver!” he exclaims because Oliver chooses that moment to scramble over him. He turns on the lamp and almost pulls the drawer completely out of the nightstand in his search for lube. 

“What?” Barry asks again. Oliver tosses the lube beside them and brackets Barry with his body, looking down at a swollen mouth, messy hair, a rising blush and blown pupils and thinking soppy thoughts about beauty and love and pushing aside the familiar feeling of how little he deserves _this_. 

“What are you—oh, you mean _now_?” Barry asks, incredulous, like it’s possible for Oliver to _not_ want to do something about the thought of Barry _fingering himself_. 

“Yes, now,” Oliver hums, leaning down for another kiss. “For _science_.” 

**end.**

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for [pornyplothead](http://archiveofourown.org/users/pornyplothead/pseuds/pornyplothead) because it came from a conversation in which she talked about how it'd be nice if fanfic, especially slash fanfic, occasionally touched a few more realistic details of sex. I nodded along but was mostly like, "lol that'd b cool but i'd never write that tho too awks for me omfg sry"
> 
> So, naturally, the very next thing I wrote was this.
> 
> I'm also [over here on tumblr](https://wonderingtheblue.tumblr.com/). I don't actually post much (because. effort.), but I'm usually around if you want to chat or send me an ask. ;D


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